


Sketch My Smile

by AifasInTheSky



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: (I'm gonna add tags as the fic progresses), Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Lots of Drawing, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-08-05 02:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16359167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AifasInTheSky/pseuds/AifasInTheSky
Summary: Pyro finds something in Scout's room that gives him an idea. An idea that will start a new, artistic routine for them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadowenza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowenza/gifts).



> Hiya! I'm putting the notes for this chapter here bc AO3 always sends the bottom ones to the end of the fic adsdfgdk
> 
> Requested by [Enza](https://shadowenza.tumblr.com/). I've never written flashfire, nor multichaptered fics - let's see where this leads! I hope you enjoy it \o/

Pyro won’t be able to pinpoint where it all started.

Was it when he first found Scout reading that Justice League comic and Scout, seeing his enthusiasm, invited him to read it together? Was it when Scout opened to him about his dad? Was it during that trip with Engie, when he destroyed that vending machine at the gas station to free Scout’s arm?

Was it when he showed him his face?

He’ll say, though, that everything started when he found _it_.

\-----

“Oh, crap, I’m out of Bonk! Stay there, buddy, gonna make a quick run to the kitchen – and _don’t_ you dare keep reading that without me!”

Scout runs out of his room, leaving Pyro on the floor, indignant. Well, yes, it’s true that he can be read like a book by his reactions, and that this has led to him spoiling a mayor plot point for Scout more than once, but it isn’t like he _always_ does it. Only sometimes. Oftentimes.

Okay, usually.

He huffs, and tries to distract himself. He starts tracing the floorboards with his finger in little patterns – up, right, up, left; up, right, up, left; left, left, left, down; right, down, left, down. Right, down, right, right. A twirl. Zig-zag zig-zag zig-zag zig-zag.

He huffs, restless.

He looks around the room in search of something to distract him from Aquaman and his fate.

And then, he sees it.

Peeking from beneath the bed, there’s a notebook. It’s got little drawings on its cover – cars, Bonk logos, a raccoon… He claps his hands. How fluffy! He’s grasped by a raging curiosity. Are there more of those inside?

But when he lays a hand on the notebook, he hesitates. Would Scout be angry if he were to take a look at it?

One glance at the discarded comic book gives him the final push. He’s not disobeying him, after all.

The first page he sees makes him chuckle. There’s a sketch of Soldier chasing Mister Bites among ammunition boxes. He turns the page – Engineer tips his hat at him from the stove, flipping some pancakes. On the next page there’s a really good drawing of a woman with dark, short hair and big earrings. _Huh_ , he thinks, _she kinda looks like Scout_. The picture makes him feel a bit sad, for some reason.

He turns the page and he lets out an excited _oh_. He’s there!

He’s on the top left of the page, in his suit, chasing a Spy with a giant axe. He chuckles. Oh! And a bit further down the page, looking at a flower with a smile, his mask off. And there’s he again, drawing something on the floor!

The next page is also filled with little drawings of him doing different things – watching Engie’s sentry, sitting by a fire with Sniper, petting a small spotted dog… The scribbles make him feel warm and a bit shy. He didn’t know Scout has been paying so much attention to him.

The next page makes him stop, mouth open.

It’s a big one. It’s just his face and his shoulders, his suited torso covered by a comic book, mask off. But what makes him hold his breath is his expression. In the drawing, he’s clearly lost in what he’s reading. His eyes are big and shiny, his mouth open in a little “o” shape. His cheeks are flushing a little in excitement.

A little heart lies next to his head.

At first, he feels a little self conscious. Is that how he looks when he reads? But after the shock has passed, he’s mostly amazed at Scout’s skill. How much emotions show in his lines! And he draws very well – that’s him, no doubt of it. Some details are a bit off… Is it his nose? His chin? But the drawing is very good. Scout must have a very good memory.

The little heart makes him blush.

He doesn’t want to turn the page, but he does. He needs to see more!

He squeaks and drops the notebook on the floor.

Flustered, he picks it up and opens it again. Is that… him shirtless?

He’s taking off his suit. He has already shed his mask and gloves and he’s tugging at his right sleeve, showing half of his tan chest. Three little hearts adorn the page.

 _Oh, my_.

He can’t believe his eyes.

… Are there more of these?!

\-----

He’s looking at three pictures of himself smiling in different directions when the door slams open.

“Heey, sorry, Soldier was messing with sour cream ag-” He drops his can. “ _What are you doing with that oh my god_ -”

He jolts, caught red-handed. But he’s too happy to care. He directs a big smile at Scout as he evades his attempts to snatch the notebook off his hands.

“You draw very well!”

“Can you please just- give me that back-!”

“Nope.” He grins.

He’s had plenty of time to see at least four bust shots and several sketches featuring him, every single page littered with hearts.

“Give me- agh!”

Scout slips on the comic book abandoned on the floor and falls to the floor with a loud _thud_.

“Oh my god – are you okay, Scout?”

“… I’m dead. I’m officially dead.” He covers his eyes with his right arm, cheeks blazing. “Don’t look at me. Have some respect for the dead.”

“Don’t be silly,” he tuts. He sits next to him and grasps his left hand. “I really liked your drawings. You’re very talented.”

Scout peeks from under his arm.

“… Aren’t you weirded out by the… you know…”

“The dozens of pics of me?”

Scout gulps.

“… Yeah, that.”

He chuckles and tightens his hold reassuringly.

“I’m not. I swear.”

“Even with the-”

“The hearts were lovely.”

Scout hides his eyes again. “Geez…”

He’s not lying. He feels very flattered. Scout must be really interested in him!

Suddenly, he’s got an idea. It makes him a bit nervous, but it’s Scout, and he trusts him, so it’s going to be okay.

“Hey, Scout.”

“… Yeah?”

“Would you like to draw me?”

Scout lifts his arm, looking at him wide-eyed. “Uhh, I don’t know if you realized, but, I sorta drew you already? Like, many times? Not that I wouldn’t do it again but-”

“I know, dummy.” He slaps his shoulder lightly. “I meant… do you want me t-to pose for you?” Dang it, he’s sure he must be blushing a bit.

“What?!” Scout sits up, flabbergasted. “You mean, like, staying still while I draw you, right? Because it’d be really cool, ‘cuz I think I’m missing some details and also I’ve been trying to draw certain poses that are annoying me because they’re pretty difficult without any reference but you have to be totally comfortable with it, no way if you aren’t because-”

“Scout!” he stops him. Scout snaps his mouth shut, somewhat embarrassed. Pyro gives him a soothing smile. “It’s okay, I’m absolutely sure. I wouldn’t have asked you if I weren’t.”

“… Right. True,” Scout states, a bit as if trying to reassure himself. “True.” Something clicks, and Scout grins. “Awesome! This is gonna help a lot! Thanks, pally!”

“No problem,” he answers. Scout’s enthusiasm is contagious – he can’t help but grin too.

Scout remembers something.

“So, wanna keep reading? We reached a big cliffhanger there.”

“Sure!”

“Alright! Let me get my Bonk, I’m hella thirsty.”

But as Scout is sipping on his drink, Pyro smirks.

“So, are you going to draw my abs again?”

Scout chokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Found a way to do it hehe~~
> 
> Find me on Tumblr ([justacoconut-tf2.tumblr.com](https://justacoconut-tf2.tumblr.com)) and Twitter ([@aifastic](https://twitter.com/aifastic))


	2. Chapter 2

They agree to have the drawing session on Saturday.

If Pyro’s being honest, he’s more than a little nervous at the thought of being watched for a long time. Not only watched, but paid attention, scrutinized. Every time he thinks about it, he can’t help but scratch his right arm, where a burn mark stretches from his elbow to near his wrist.

He’s not having second thoughts, though. He knows Scout will respect his boundaries – he’s done it before. It’s not like they’re going to do naked poses and all that… right?

By Friday, he’s terribly jittery.

“Hey, buddy, everything alright?”

He tells Engie that he’s okay and gives him a thumbs up, nodding. Maybe a bit too enthusiastically, because Engie doesn’t look very convinced.

“Hmm, if you say so.” He adjusts a nut that’s coming loose from his dispenser. “Though you know you can tell me if something’s the matter.”

“Sure!” He nods again. Engie looks at him, smiling lopsidedly.

“Hey, Py!”

He flinches. Scout runs by, waving, and disappears behind the corner.

Engie clears his throat.

He tears his eyes away from the spot and looks at his friend, who’s covering his smirk with his fist.

“It’s okay, firebug, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Nonono, it’s not like that!” He frantically waves his hands, shaking his head, a blush in his cheeks.

“Mmhmm,” Engie says, and goes back to his tinkering.

Pyro sighs and drags a hand across his face. He knows he doesn’t believe him, not one bit.

\-----

“Hey, man, you’re late!”

He mutters an apology, softly closing the door. His suit is still on because he had to cross the whole hallway to Scout’s room, but he’s got some clothes on below, in case he needs to dress down.

The thought of undressing completely crosses again his mind and he can’t help but shudder.

“Uhh, are you okay, pal?” Scout looks at him, concerned. He takes his mask off and gives him what he hopes is a convincing smile.

“I’m fine.”

Scout frowns. “You totally aren’t.”

Damn his traitorous face.

“I’m okay, I swear, Scout. It’s just…” He fidgets. “… I don’t think I’m ready for… undressing?” His cheeks feel warm. Dang, it sounds so stupid now that he said it.

“Un…” Scout stops for a second, his mouth open.

“I know it’s dumb,” he says, crossing his arms. “I mean, I’m okay with taking my suit off, I brought clothes, but I- I’m not comfortable with… taking _them_ off…”

“Oh, oh, no!” Scout starts hurriedly shaking his head, beet red. “Nono, don’t- don’t worry! I wasn’t gonna- jeez, you- I promise, I just wanted to sketch some casual poses, that’s all, there’s no need to.”

He sighs, relieved. He knew that he was worrying over nothing.

“Thank you,” he says with a smile.

“No problem,” Scout replies, and shakes his head. “Man, you should have told me – how long have you been fretting about this?”

“I, uhh…” He scratches the back of his head. “… Nevermind.”

“Un-freaking-believable.”

Scout walks towards his bed, where another notebook and a pencil lie on the sheets. He grabs them and turns to look at him, twirling the pencil in his hands.

“Alright, so, getting back to business: I was thinking of trying a relaxed pose, nothing complicated – just to practice basic stuff and get some details I didn’t catch yet?”

“Sounds good.” He perks up. “Wait a second. Can you turn around?”

“Why- oh. Sure.”

He waits until Scout’s facing the wall and removes the rest of his suit, careful not to disturb his other clothes. He’s brought a red, snowflake-patterned sweater and a pair of black jogging pants. Nothing fancy, but enough for Scout to be able to see the position and shape of his limbs without revealing more skin than he’s comfortable with. He tugs at his sweater to make sure it covers his belly and back and, when he’s satisfied, tells his friend: “I’m ready!”

Scout turns around.

“Sweet! Good choice, buddy.” Scout gives him a thumbs up. “I dig that sweater – oh god, what am I gonna do with the pattern – nevermind!” Pyro watches him, a little dazed by the compliment and the rush of words, while he takes a seat on his bed and taps his pen against his notebook. “Ready?”

“Yes!” he nods, enthusiastic.

Uhh… How does he _pose_ , exactly?

He knows that he’s got to look relaxed, natural, but at the same time he has to make an effort for it, and stay that way for a while, huh…

This is proving to be more difficult than he thought.

He sticks a booted foot to the side, his toes pointing upwards, and puts the opposite hand on his hip. He tries to look distracted, fixing his sight on a water spot in the ceiling.

“Uhh, Py, you look super tense.”

He didn’t realize he wasn’t breathing until he heard Scout and exhaled. He shifts his leg, and his ankle feels somewhat stiff.

“… You might be right.”

They both chuckle.

“Hmmm… Hey! I know! Wait a moment!” And with that, Scout runs out of the room.

He doesn’t have much time to wonder, though, because he comes back soon, carrying one of the chairs from the rec room.

“This is gonna help!”

Pyro lightens up.

\-----

“There, done!”

“Woah, Scout, that was pretty quick!”

Scout seems flustered at this.

“I, um, I tend to work pretty fast – can’t take my time when people move, gotta be quick…”

“Ohh true!” Pyro perks up. “Like for that Mister Bites pic!”

“Mis- oh, you mean Soldier’s rabid pet.”

“Hey! He’s nice.”

“That thing bit me once – Medic had to give me shots, and I tell you, that was worse than getting a bullet in the ass – it got swollen and shit, and got a fever for days!”

“You would know…” he smirks.

“Shut up. It’s not like _you_ wouldn’t know either. I still remember you whining about that time with BLU Spy and his revolver-”

“Not fair!” He pouted. Scout laughs, dropping his pencil.

Well, maybe it was, a little.

“Ahh, man…  Alright.” Scout picks the pencil up and points it at him. “So, wanna try a new pose?”

“Ok!” He stands up and twirls the chair around. He sits astride on it facing Scout, his arms resting on its back. He nests his head on them, looking at Scout sideways. “Is this ok?”

“Uhhh…” Scout looks a little lost. He suddenly shakes his head and blushes a bit. “Sorry! Yeah. Yeah! Right on it.”

He starts drawing, his movements slower than before but still certain. He smiles – Scout sure knows what he’s doing.

“So… You must draw a lot.”

“Uh? Why do you think so?” Scout asks distractedly, tracing a long line.

“I just…” _Because you look like you enjoy it very much._ “Because you draw really good.”

“Really? I mean, of course,” Scout preens, looking at him briefly with a smirk. His heart stutters. “I mean, I’m a natural- well, sorta; mom always says that it runs in the family. But I also practiced a helluva lot, you know.”

“Oh?” He wonders if Scout’s siblings draw too. Or his mom. He feels a bit upset thinking of Scout’s dad, just for a moment.

“Yeah,” Scout smiles fondly, looking at the notebook again. “I sometimes drew ma while she made dinner, when my brothers were out and I couldn’t go anywhere. Man, I was so frustrated… It was a way to distract myself from how much I wanted to be out there.”

“She looks pretty.”

Scout startles, puzzled. Then he seems to get it.

“Oh yeah, you saw her pic in my old sketchbook. She’s awesome.” He sighs. Drags his pencil carefully in a curve. “Man, sometimes I miss her.”

Pyro remembers how he felt when he saw Scout’s drawing, and thinks he understands why now.

“And you draw here too, right?”

“Yeah, duh!” Scout looks at him and back at his paper. He seems more animated now. Bingo. “It helps with the jitters. Also there’s a lot to draw here. Everything’s insane. And everyone’s so different, it’s great practice!”

“True,” he says, smiling, thinking of short, soft Engie and big, square-jawed Heavy.

“Yeah, like, for example, Sniper? He’s super long. All him is long. Long arms, long legs, long face. And then we have Spy. Skinny, pointy bastard. And Demo – his torso is triangle shaped – like this?” Scout gestures with his hands. “And his nose round, and his balance is usually off to the left side.”

“I hadn’t noticed that.” He raises his head for a bit and cracks his neck, then carefully rests it back again on his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty obvious when he’s drunk, but, he also does it when he’s more sober, only just slightly.”

He makes a mental note to pay attention next time.

They sit in silence for a while. Scout keeps working on his drawing; his lines seem shorter now, he wonders what he’s doing. It’s mesmerizing to watch – Scout rarely focuses on stuff. Even when they’re reading comics, they usually start talking about stuff in the middle or make breaks to get food and drinks. But now, they are both completely silent. Not only that, but Scout is completely concentrated on his work.

He doesn’t feel left out, though. Scout keeps looking up at him, eyes attentive, studying his arms, his legs, his hair… He feels his cheeks redden, but he’s not uncomfortable, either. An odd combination of peace and turmoil wriggles inside him.

He wonders what the drawing will look like.

Scout’s eyes finally meet his. For a second, or maybe two or three, he gets lost in sky blue.

He smiles.

Scout looks down at the page, a trembling smile in his mouth, while he sketches energetically.

\-----

“There! Ready!”

“Ohhh, show me, show me!”

Pyro stands up so quickly that the chair stumbles a bit, but luckily it doesn’t fall over. Scout looks nervous and he starts to hug his notebook, but he seems to come to a decision and relaxes, lowering it and going a page back.

He rushes over to see and sits next to Scout.

“Ohh…”

The first drawing is very good. It’s simple, its lines swift and free. Sometimes they won’t meet, but they clearly show him. His leg, tucked under the other one, his hands resting on his ankle… There’s more detail put in his face, though: his face looks more his than in the other drawings he’s seen. He can’t pinpoint what changed, but something’s changed, and in a good way.

He’s looking at the floor to his left. That must’ve been from when he was thinking about the other day.

“It’s really good, Scout!” He grins at him. Scout preens.

“Yeah, thanks. This one was pretty quick, didn’t put too much detail in it, really, but it looks pretty awesome, right?”

“Yes!” He looks at it again. “Aww, you didn’t draw the pattern.”

“Hey! I toldya, it was a quick one. I was planning on adding it later – didn’t want to leave you sitting there for too long.”

He thinks for a moment about how intricate it was and is grateful for his thoughtfulness.

“Huh, so, show me the other one!”

“Uhh okay,” Scout says. He sounds hesitant, but turns the page anyways.

He can’t speak.

This drawing was made with a bit more care. The lines are more defined, more purposeful, as if Scout had been tracing him. There’s a lot more detail than the last one: he can see the folds of his clothes, the layers of his dark wavy hair, the shine of his boots. Scout even took the time to sketch briefly the pattern of his sweater – or at least what was visible of it behind the back of the chair. It’s very nice.

However, what's left him speechless is his face. He’s resting his head on his arms, curls in disarray, looking at Scout with warm, happy eyes, and a soft smile. The emotion captured in the drawing is one he's felt several times; he didn’t know he looked like that.

He really wears his heart on his sleeve, huh.

He thinks, though, that he doesn’t care this time. He’s happy to know that Scout knows he’s happy with him.

“Uhh so, what do you think?”

He shakes his thoughts off and looks at Scout, smiling happily.

“I love it! You were very detailed in this one.”

“Hehe, yeah, uhh… You don’t mind?”

“Of course not!” He tsks. “It’s awesome, you have a really good eye, Scout.”

“Aw jeez – thanks, pally,” he says, rubbing his neck.

They both stay there, looking at the drawing for a little while. Pyro feels content and a bit giddy. This was a very good idea.

Scout then hands him his notebook and sits up, clapping his hands once.

“Well, then, I think we’re done for today, don’t you? Oww, my back hurts like hell.”

“Yeah,” he says, grasping it, careful not to smudge the page.

“I think I’m gonna grab something to eat, maybe the big guy made extra sandwiches or something. Do you want some?”

“Sure, if Heavy doesn’t mind…” he answers, doubtful.

“Alright! Wait here so you don’t have to dress again and all that.” Scout gives him a thumbs up and leaves the room.

Pyro sighs. He can’t stop smiling. He looks at the last drawing again with fondness.

He thinks he’s going to suggest it again, one of these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry I'm so slow orz)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! \o/ 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Also please be patient if you notice there are spaces missing because my text processor deletes them when I change laptops for some reason ugh~~


	3. Chapter 3

In the end, it’s Scout who brings the sessions up again.

It’s been two weeks. Pyro’s been wanting to do it, but he hasn’t found the right time. He doesn’t want to sound pushy, or put pressure on Scout; he wants to be casual about it – to suggest it in passing, like he hasn’t given it much thought. But he’s really, really not good at pretending.

“Hey, Scout, I was thinking-” No, no, that’d give away the fact he’s been thinking about it. “Hey, Scout, why don’t we-” No, a bit too forceful. He’s getting frustrated. “Scout-”

“Yeah?”

He jumps. He turns swiftly around to see Scout standing behind him, hand covering his mouth.

“Y-your face,” he lets out, trying to hold in his laughter. Pyro flushes under his mask, putting his hands on his hips in a reproachful pose. “I know, I know, I can’t really see it, but your- your everything said it all.”

“Not fair, Scout,” he grumbles.

“Hey, don’t look so down, it was fun,” Scout says, smiling playfully.

“Fun for _you_ ,” he admonishes. How- how much has he heard? Though he knows he’s difficult to understand with his mask on, and Scout isn’t very good at it. He crosses his fingers.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” Scout relents, hands up in defeat but still smirking like a dork. “I promise I’m not gonna ask about it if you don’t wanna, like, talk about it.”

He sighs, relieved.

“Thank you,” he says, giving Scout a tired thumbs up.

“Oh, hey, by the way!” Scout snaps his fingers. “Do you wanna, y’ know, meet again for drawing and stuff? I wanna try a few poses – if you don’t mind, of course!”

_Oh, my god._

He can’t believe his luck.

“Uhh… buddy?” He must have taken a bit long to answer because Scout looks a bit unsure. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna, I just-”

“Nonono, yes, I’d love it!” He shakes his arms and nods enthusiastically to get his point across. “Let’s do it!” He gives him another thumbs up for emphasis.

Scout perks up, a wide smile in his face.

“Awesome, man! Er, is this Saturday okay?” Pyro nods again, still a bit dazed. “Great! Then see ya later, pally!”

And with that, Scout walks again, drawing finger guns at him.

Something in him finally loosens up and he grins.

Problem solved!

\-----

He thought ahead this time.

The sweater he’s wearing today is a lot simpler – an orange one with a big star on the front. He wants to make it easier for Scout so that he’s able to concentrate on the poses; he’d have brought a plain one but… He admits he doesn’t own any.

He really loves patterns.

“I’m here!” he says, walking happily into Scout’s room.

Scout hits his head against the bottom of his bed.

“Ow!” Pyro winces. “Give a man a warning, Py! Ugh – wait a sec.”

He takes his mask off as Scout crawls out, last time’s notebook in his hand. His face is red from embarrassment. “My- my sketchbook fell.”

He giggles. “It’s okay, silly. Sorry for scaring you.”

“You? Scare me?” Scout scoffs. “You wish. You ain’t scary at all, dummy.”

For a moment, he remembers a time when Scout was terrified of him. He’s really glad they have come so far.

He grins.

“The hell you thinking of?” Scout asks suspiciously.

“Nothing,” he lies. “Just that some people would not agree.”

“Maybe some people are idiots.” Scout scoffs. Then seems to think about it. “Well, if they’re from BLU I guess they _are_ sort of right. But who wouldn’t fear the best team in all Teufort – hell, in all the world!”

He chuckles as Scout mimics smashing a bat in someone’s head. He’s glad to be in this team. But overall, he’s glad to have met Scout.

“So, what are we going to do today?”

“Oh, right!” Scout pats his notebook with a grin. “I wanted to try some standing poses this time. Like, nothing crazy, but uhhh let’s have some fun with it?”

He perks up. “Oohh! Did you have anything in mind?”

“Yeah!” Scout grabs his pencil and points it at the floor – a small radio sits on a cardboard box. “Let's shake it up!”

He clicks it and an upbeat song comes out of the speakers. It’s like… gym music!

“These came on the mail last week instead of the tapes I ordered through Mann Co.” Scout starts moving to the beat. “I was gonna send them back but, to be honest… They’re pretty cool, aren’t they?”

“Yes!” He likes it. It makes him really, really want to dance. He can’t help but tap his feet to it. But… “What's your plan?”

“Oh! So I know you love dancing and stuff, so why don't we play freeze dance?” Scout winks.

“‘Freeze dance’?” He vaguely remembers something from ages ago. “Oh! Like the statues game?”

“Yeah! Uhhh I guess? You've gotta dance and when the music stops- bam! You freeze. I sketch ya real quick and we can move on.”

“Ohh, yeah!” He claps. “Great idea, Scout!”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks,” Scout brushes off, cheeks rosy. “Now get ready and let's start!”

\-----

The music is super catchy!

He trots on place clapping his hands. “Yeah, yeah!” yells Scout from his sit on the bed, dancing with his torso and arms. “Go, buddy!”

He throws his hands up in the air – one, two, one, two – and...

Firethrow!

The music stops. He freezes in place – luckily it’s not a difficult pose to maintain, except for maybe the legs. Just a bit.

“Aaannd… There!” Scout presses the button and the music starts again. Wow, that was quick! Just two or three minutes. He starts dancing again – he jumps in place a few times to relax his legs and stretches his arms to one side, to the other-

Silence.

Scout’s speed is, like always, amazing. He sketches as fast as he does a lot of things, like running or speaking. Sometimes he feels Scout lives in a race – against what, he doesn’t know. Against himself, maybe.

The music starts. He trots in place again to warm up, thinking about what to do next.

“Do a split!” shouts Scout, smirking. Pyro knows he's joking, but oh, boy, he's in for a surprise. He grins.

He lets himself fall to the floor, resisting a little wince when he touches it. Ouch; he needs more practice.

The music keeps going on, oddly enough. He looks up – Scout is looking at him with his mouth hanging open, pencil balancing poorly on his hand.

“Ta-daahh,” he says, smirking.

Scout shakes his head. “Wow. Wooow! That was awesome, man!”

“Thank you.” He really likes surprising Scout. It makes him have this look – so baffled... and a little bit lost, as if his world tilted in its axis for a moment.

His huge grin and cute blush afterwards are a big plus.

“Do you think you can keep it for a bit?”

He considers his legs. They are starting to get a bit more used to the pose. “Sure!”

“Sweet. I’ll be quick!” Scout pauses the music in a swift movement and gets to work.

He adjusts his hips a bit. It’s not like he doesn’t stretch these days, but he doesn’t do it as often as long ago, when he went to his dance lessons. He had loved those. He’d hear the other kids complain, but he was too absorbed by the flow of the music, the opportunity to move, to dance to it. It was fun.

It's one of those things that you can't forget, no matter what. Like Balloonicorn.

Like the pretty colors that filled the sky that sad night.

“Done!”

He startles so badly he shifts his hips a bit too much and a shot of pain runs across his thighs and crotch. He hisses, wincing, and shoots his arms down to support himself on the floor.

“Shit! Are you alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah, just – I was distracted.” He chuckles a bit, straightening his posture. “I’m a bit out of practice.”

“Oh… Okay, pally. Um, I think we can call it a day, if you wanna. Got a lot of sketches to work on!”

He wants to wipe away the worry on Scout’s face. But he thinks it’d be wise. He doesn’t think it’s wise to keep dancing at this point.

“Okay,” he concedes, trying not to pout as he slowly closes his legs.

Scout notices, though, as always.

“Hey, off with the long face, it was great! I got more than enough to work. And we can do this again, y’ know!”

His heart skips a beat at the prospect of more times like this. “Yay! Of course!”

He then remembers the sketches. He gets up as quick as he can.

“Can I see them?” he asks, pointing at his notebook and trying not to bounce in excitement.

Suddenly Scout looks uncomfortable. “Uhh…” he shifts his eyes away from him, towards the notebook. “I gotta work on them still. I’ll tell ya when I finish them. Yeah!” He gives him a nervous smile.

He tries not to look disappointed. It makes him sort of sad he can’t see the sketches now, but he can’t wait to see what the finished product is! He knows Scout’s sort of self-conscious with his work, so he isn’t going to push him.

“It’s okay, Scout,” he says, nodding. “I can’t wait!”

When Scout walks out the room to go for drinks, he takes his notebook with him. And Pyro doesn’t want to be unfair to him, but he can’t help but think he’s hiding something.

He shakes his head. He’s got to stop getting ahead of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... took a lot more time than I expected. I'm so sorry.
> 
> I had a bit of trouble getting back on track after a good but busy year and medication changes didn't help, tbh. But I'm glad to be back!
> 
> I hope you like this chapter! Sorry for not showing Scout's drawings this time - I promise we'll be seeing more of them in the future *smirks*
> 
> Also Mannrobics rock \o/


End file.
